


Spotless

by getawaygarden



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Explicit Language, Gen, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Sex, Organized Crime, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24900037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getawaygarden/pseuds/getawaygarden
Summary: Charlotte is in trouble, and her last hope is an run-down family farm in Stardew Valley. She has five years to launder 100 million Gold for a powerful and dangerous drug cartel, so even one small mistake will cost her life. She'll do what it takes to survive, even if it means losing everything that is important to her.Premise inspired by the Netflix show Ozark.
Relationships: Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 27





	1. Winter 21

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Frequent references to illicit drugs and drug use. If you are struggling with substance abuse, please consider seeking help. You are not alone. If you live in the USA, you can call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
> 
> Disclaimer: The premise was strongly inspired by the Netflix show Ozark, but it still has a plot of its own. It is not a crossover, so none of the Ozark characters will appear. Keep an eye on the warnings and tags, because I will update them as I update the story. Hope you enjoy this darker version of a Stardew fanfic.

The concrete was cold and rough against Charlotte’s knees. She pressed her palms down on her legs, feeling the tiny pebbles digging into her skin. She wondered if they were bleeding. Shutting her eyes, she pictured her mind being outside of herself, looking down at her body. It would look like she was praying. Maybe she should be, because a miracle from Yoba was the only thing that would save her now. 

If she zoomed out a little more, she would be able to see the man standing in front of her, who was pointing a gun to her head. It looked now like she was praying to him – which was closer to the truth – praying for mercy, which would be a miracle. Zooming out more, she could see two more men standing behind the one with a gun, next to an empty crate that was meant to be her coffin.

“3 million Gs short, Charlotte. We had a deal. 10 million in two seasons.”

“I know, but the old lady was catching on so I had to back off—”

“I told you that you had one chance. This business doesn’t give second chances.”

“I know, I know, you were very clear Mr. Cooke—”

“So why are we here, Charlotte? What did you not understand?”

Charlotte didn’t say anything. She just shut her eyes tighter and tried to press her knees further into the concrete. This isn’t how she wanted to die, not in a dark alley near the docks of Zuzu City. Not after everything she had been through to get to where she is. Where she was. She didn’t do what she did to get here, to this exact moment, kneeling on the ground with a gun to her head because she couldn’t clean Franklin Cooke’s dirty drug money fast enough. 

She had been naïve and overly confident in thinking that a college degree in accounting would give her enough to work with in order to move so much money in such a short amount of time. Fixing up an old motel in the red-light district of Zuzu City had seemed like a perfect idea. It was owned by an aging woman who could barely see the invoices. But she was wrong – the owner was smart enough to trust no one, not even the doe-eyed college grad who claimed to want to fix up a bad part of the city. 

Honestly, Charlotte thought Cooke wasn’t giving her enough credit. 7 million Gold in two seasons was good for a beginner. She knew her shit about money. But laundering money for a drug cartel required more than book smarts, especially for the Z Cartel, which held a monopoly over the heroin business in most regions of the Ferngill Republic. Working for them required intuition, ruthlessness, and an ability to manipulate anyone and everyone into doing what you needed them to do. Charlotte knew now that she hadn’t possessed any of those qualities, and now it was going to cost her life.

“I’m a businessman, Charlotte. I have to make decisions that benefit the company. That includes firing the weak links. You understand that much, don’t you?”

If this was the end, she was going to make it count. She opened her eyes and looked right at Cooke.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

Cooke laughed. It was a terrible, genuine laugh that chilled Charlotte to the core, but she held what little ground she had left.

“It wasn’t,” she continued, trying not to stutter out of nervousness, “Your reputation in Zuzu has gotten out of hand.” 

Cooke placed the gun so that it was touching Charlotte’s forehead. It was cold too, which was good because that meant it hadn’t been fired recently. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

“You have exactly ten seconds to tell me what the fuck you mean by that.”

“The cops are all over you. They know you not only sell in the city, but that you have your launderers there. They know the patterns to look for to identify shell businesses. Even if they can’t trace it to the Gotoro Empire banks and back here, they can still gather enough evidence to convict all of us. That’s why the motel wasn’t as profitable as it could have been maybe five years ago. I couldn’t do it properly without getting caught.”

“Are you telling me how to do my job?”

Charlotte didn’t break eye contact, despite feeling like she might pass out. She pressed her knees even harder into the concrete, which helped her hold on to reality.

“Your job is to listen to people like me, or else you would wash your money yourself.”

“You should know your place, you little bitch—”

“Stardew Valley.” Charlotte shut her eyes, wondering if those would be her last words. But the gun didn’t go off.

“What the fuck about Stardew Valley?” Cooke still had the gun to her head, but was studying her face more intently than he was before.

“It’s southeast of here, and isn’t very populated, but they get an influx of tourists every summer—”

“Tell me something I don’t know, or else this conversation is over.”

“The crime in that region is the lowest in the country. So low, that their police are basically nonexistent. They literally could not be lower on the Ferngill Republic Anti-Drug Task Force radar.” Charlotte could feel herself starting to ramble, but an idea was forming in her head as she spoke. An idea that had crossed her mind only once, when she found out that her late grandfather had left her his old farm in his will. An idea that just might save her tonight.

“And why should I care about that?”

“Because I have a farm there. It used to be my grandfather’s, but it hasn’t been touched in probably ten years. He gave it to me. 100 acres of land and a house. If I move there, I’ll be raising it from the ground up. That’s a lot of expenses that can easily be inflated without another accountant looking at them. Plus, their economy isn’t great. Joja has been pushing out small businesses for years. They have to be eager for someone with money to take interest in their town. Pelican Town, to be exact.”

“I don’t give second chances, Charlotte.”

“Don’t think of it as a second chance for me,” Charlotte said, trying to keep her lip from quivering. She couldn’t cry now. “Think of it as a new opportunity for the Z Cartel. New ground to cover. I think—” Charlotte took a deep breath, because this part was a long shot. “I think I know someone there who would sell your product, or would at least would know someone who does. We can get rid of their current supplier and move you all in. Then you would have a monopoly over all the Southern Ferngill Republic. And I would be right there to clean all your money.”

Charlotte finally shut her eyes again. If she was getting a miracle, this would be it. The concrete was cold. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She tried to picture the farm. It had been her safe place as a child, somewhere she could go to get away from reality. She could practically smell the strawberry fields and feel the acorns under her feet as she ran barefoot through the woods. That is what she wanted to be her last thought. She pictured herself running toward the farmhouse, where her grandfather was waiting for her.

The gun went off, but she didn’t feel anything. The shot was ear splitting, and it was so quiet after it happened that she thought she might have gone deaf. She would think she was dead if she didn’t still feel the concrete digging into her legs.

“Get up.”

Charlotte opened her eyes. Cooke was pointing the gun at an empty dumpster that was next to them. It had a bullet hole in it now. 

“Cooke—”

“Get up. How much do you think you can move in five years?”

Charlotte rose to her feet on shaky legs. Her knees were bleeding.

“I—I would have to crunch the numbers—”

“Do you have a plan or not?”

“100 million. 100 million Gold in five years.”

Cooke was very quiet. He looked at her like he was looking inside of her, looking for the lie. Looking for signs of doubt.

“You have one season to clean the 3 million you owe me. I don’t have to remind you that I’m serious about my deadlines. If you can clean it all by then, and move my product in the valley, then I’ll consider your proposition. Be in Stardew Valley by the new year. That's one week. Better get moving.”

With that, he holstered his gun, got into his car with his companions, and drove away. 

Charlotte took one step forward, then another. Step by wobbly step, she made her way to her own car that was parked further up the docks. She opened the door and fell to the driver’s seat, where she finally let herself cry.


	2. Winter 24

“Have you lost your damn mind?” her mother’s shrill voice cried through Charlotte’s cell phone speaker. She was glad that it was a voice call so that her mother wouldn’t see her rolling her eyes. “You don’t know the first thing about running a farm!”

“Yes, I do. I spent how many summers there, ten? Twelve? It’ll all come back to me.”

Charlotte was throwing as much as she could into boxes, not caring if things got lost or broken. Picture frames and dining sets could be replaced. Her life could not. 

“You’re an accountant, Charlotte. Not a farmer.”

“This is what Grandpa wanted. That’s why he trusted me with the deed to the farm. He knew I could do it.”

Charlotte sighed, overwhelmed by the mess she was making in her living room. She went into her bedroom to double check the large duffle bag that was under her bed. It was so heavy that she could barely carry it, but there was no way she could let anyone else touch it. She unlocked the lock that was holding the zippers closed. Inside was 3 million Gold.

“It doesn’t make any sense. It took you months to land your job at Joja. If you quit, you’ll never get a position that good again.”

“I already turned in my notice, mother. It’s happening. The movers will be here tomorrow.”

Charlotte started counting the stacks, just to be sure that not even one coin was missing.

“What about your apartment? You’ll have to pay to cancel your lease early.”

“I’m subletting to a friend from work.”

_100 Gold… 200 Gold…_

Charlotte really would miss this apartment. It was in the heart of the business district in Zuzu City. She had been lucky to get it, because it was one of the most desired locations for up and coming business people like herself. On 40th floor, she had a spectacular view of the city. All the faucets were platinum, the kitchen and bathroom had tiles imported from the Gotoro Empire, from before the war. The floors were a beautiful, trendy dark hardwood that didn’t have a scratch on them. High ceilings held glamorous light fixtures. The place was modern and everything Charlotte always dreamed of having. Maybe if she was lucky, in five years when this whole mess was over, she’d be able to rent in this building again.

Her mother sighed. “You’re too young to be having a midlife crisis, Charlotte.”

“I’m not if my life will be shorter than expected.”

Charlotte’s stomach turned at her own joke. If only her mother had any idea how serious she was. _900 Gold… 1000…_

“Very funny.”

“The way I see it, I only have a few more years in my 20s. My body isn’t getting any younger, so if I ever want to do something with the old farm, I should start now.”

“I’ve been begging you for years to sell that land, or at least rent the house out.” Charlotte could imagine her mother pacing back and forth as she spoke on the phone. “I still don’t know why Dad left it to you and not me and your father.”

“Because he knew I would never sell it. He knew how much that place meant to me.”

Charlotte stopped counting the money. She hadn’t let herself think about how she was betraying her grandfather by using his home to clean drug money. It was true that she had kept the land because she couldn’t bear the thought of never returning, but she never imagined the reason she go back was having a literal gun to her head.

“Listen, Mom, I have to go. I’ll talk to you after I get to Stardew Valley, okay?”

Her mother didn’t respond for a minute. Charlotte tried to remember how much she had counted out already. 2000 G? Or was it 2100 G?

“Okay, Charlotte. Just let me know if you need anything.”

Charlotte sat back and looked at the money, absentmindedly picking at the scabs on her knees. She could still remember what her grandfather had told her when he gifted her the deed to his farm.

_There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life, and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness._

At the time, Charlotte had ignored it. He had a bit of dementia near the end. But now she felt like he knew something about her that she didn’t even know herself at the time. Like he knew that she was dangerously ambitious, and that greed would grow in her heart like a weed. That she would tend that weed like it was a flower, and let it take over her life. That she would never be able to resist the forbidden fruit of illegally obtained money.

Now, Charlotte did feel crushed. She did feel empty. But yet there was still the thrill of a challenge. The possibility that she might be smart enough to pull this off gave her the strength to continue. Her greed that had gotten her into trouble would be what got her out of it. She knew this to be true, because it had to be.

What would Grandpa think if he knew what she was using the farm for? Would he be disgusted and disturbed? Or would he be glad that he gave her a chance to save her own life?

~~~~~

24 hours later, cardboard boxes were stacked on top of the designer furniture that Charlotte was leaving for her friend who would be taking over the place until her lease was up. Then it would be moved to the old farmhouse. Until then, Charlotte would have to make do with the furniture that had never been moved out. The only piece of furniture she was bringing was her mattress. She could deal with roughing it on a farm for five years, but absolutely refused to sleep on a fifty-year-old mattress.

Charlotte gazed out of her living room window, which was a giant floor to ceiling glass plane. She could see the tallest skyscraper in the city, the Joja Corporation Headquarters. Her office had been in there, on the 15th floor. At the rate she had been going, she would’ve been promoted by this time next year. She was a damn good accountant. When she had handed in her notice, her boss had thought it was a joke. Her mother had been right when she said that she would never get a position that good again. No one quits Joja unless there’s something wrong with them. 

But she did quit, and her career as an accountant at any reputable firm was over. She tried not to dwell on the fact that she would never make that kind of money legally again. And the Z Cartel didn’t exactly offer benefits, unless you count the guarantee of knowing that you’re never completely safe. It was good money though. Good fucking cash.

There was a knock on the door and Charlotte sighed, pulling her eyes away from the view. It was the movers. She opened her door to let them in, to let them take away her dream, box by box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Charlotte will finally be in Stardew Valley! Who do you think she knows from the town?


	3. Spring 1

The farm was worse than she imagined. Of course, in her situation, “worse” meant “better” because it meant more expenses, and that was the whole reason she was here. Still, it was shocking to see how much it had changed since Grandpa had stopped taking care of it due to old age almost ten years ago.

It was so overgrown that you would never know it had been a farm unless you knew better. Long grass covered every inch of the land as far as Charlotte could see. Wild bushes were clustered all around. Trees had started growing too, some taller than she was. She realized that a large group of those trees was the old apple orchard. They obscured her view of the entire farm, but she could only assume it was more of the same. 

Charlotte pulled into the driveway and turned off her car. Getting down the long gravel driveway had been tough on her little sedan. She would have to trade it in for a truck, but she didn’t want to think about that now. She wanted to hold onto one last part of her old life, just for a little longer.

The house looked about the same as she remembered. The white paint looked a little gray and dirty, and was chipping in some areas. The red metal roof looked alright from what she could tell, though it looked a little rusty. A paper sign that read “PRIVATE PROPERTY: KEEP OUT” was posted on the wooden front door. Plywood boards covered all the windows. This meant that the person Charlotte had hired to keep an eye on the condition of the house when she inherited it had not come by yet to open it up for her. Charlotte took out her cell phone and tried to remember the woman’s name. Something with an R… Rachel? Ronnie? Then she found the familiar name: Robin Watts. She dialed the number.

“Charlotte, hello!” An out of breath voice said when she answered the phone. “Have you arrived safe and sound?”

“Yes, I arrived a few minutes ago. Are you on your way here?” 

“Yes ma’am, I’m walking down the road now.”

“You’re walking here?”

“Oh, yes, I live right up in the mountains, only a couple miles from your house. There’s a backwoods trail that connects our properties.”

Charlotte walked past the front of the house and saw the gate which marked the back entrance to the property. It looked like a path to the house had been cleared recently, so Robin must have been coming periodically to check on the place after all. 

“Of course, I remember now. How much longer until you’re here?”

Robin replied that it would only be a few more minutes, and Charlotte hung up. She had a key to the house, so she could go inside if she wanted, but the power and water hadn’t been turned back on yet. Instead, she inspected the front porch. A few wood planks looked much newer than the others. It must have started rotting, and Robin replaced them. She had done a good job of taking care of the house. The problem was, that was one less expense for Charlotte to use. Charlotte shook her head and had to laugh at the irony. At least she would be able to focus on clearing the land so that she could start selling crops as soon as possible.

It was odd to see the front porch with no furniture on it. There had always been two rocking chairs that her grandfather kept out, along with a small table. Countless hours had been spent with the two of them rocking back and forth all evening, sipping lemonade and watching the sunset. Charlotte felt a pang of nostalgia in her chest, the kind that hurts if you dwell on it for too long. Those chairs were probably stored inside. That would be the first thing she set out here.

“Thank you for waiting!” Robin’s voice came out of nowhere, making Charlotte jump and turn around. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Don’t be, I was just lost in thought. I haven’t been here in a long time. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Charlotte extended her hand out and Robin shook it. She had calloused hands and a firm handshake. Robin looked older than Charlotte expected her to, maybe in her late forties. Her red hair had a couple streaks of gray, and it looked like she made no effort to dye them. 

“After fives years of looking after this place, I thought you would’ve come by to see it before now.”

“It’s been a busy five years,” Charlotte replied. “My job didn’t give me much time off.”

“Is that why you quit?”

Charlotte was taken aback. Did Robin suspect something? “What?”

“I thought you were coming here because you were going to live and work here full-time. Did I misunderstand?”

“No, no. You’re right.” Charlotte looked away. She had to stop being so jumpy. “I quit because… working for the biggest company in the country was too… intense.”

Charlotte felt sick from just saying that. It had been intense, that was for sure. But it had been wonderful.

“Well, you’re in peaceful little Stardew Valley now,” Robin smiled innocently. “Ready to see the inside of the house?”

Robin took a minute to reconnect the house to electricity and turn on the water while Charlotte stood awkwardly outside. She was almost anxious to see the inside, but she didn’t know why. When she was done, Robin met her at the front door and grinned. Charlotte was starting to feel uncomfortable by how friendly she was.

“Do you want to do the honors?” Robin asked. Charlotte just nodded and took the housekey from her purse. A frayed red ribbon was tied to the end of it. It had been there when she got it, and she never took it off.

The inside of the house was dark, dusty, and cold. The boards that were still over the windows blocked out the sunlight, making the only illuminated part of the room the floor in front of the door. The sun was behind Charlotte, casting a long shadow on the hardwood. 

She stepped inside. The floorboards were creaky. She reached for the light switch. Only one of the two lightbulbs in the hallway came on, but it was enough to see. All the furniture was covered in white sheets that were covered in a layer of dust. In the dim light, they looked like children in ghost costumes, standing perfectly still, watching her. Charlotte almost laughed at herself for feeling creeped out. She had real threats to be afraid of.

“Do you have things in your car that I can help carry in?” Robin asked. Charlotte told her no, because she couldn’t risk her even touching the duffle bag of money that was in there. Plus, the movers would be there later that day with all the heavy stuff.

Robin began prying the boards off of the windows while Charlotte started uncovering the furniture inside. She felt like she was uncovering her childhood, memory by memory. That dining table and chairs had been handcrafted by a friend of her grandfather’s. That hutch held the china her grandparents had received on their wedding day, but never once used. That ugly green sofa had been where she sat on rainy days, reading books because the TV only had two channels. She wondered if there were any more channels now, not that she would have a lot of time for watching TV.

Charlotte opened a drawer in the side table next to the couch. Inside were photo frames wrapped in faded newspaper. She took them out one by one: a photo of her mother and uncle as children, a photo of Charlotte and her grandfather holding a large fish that she caught in the local river, and lastly, a very old photo of Charlotte’s grandmother as a young woman.

Her grandmother had passed away a few years before Charlotte was born. It was some kind of cancer, although Charlotte didn’t know the specifics. All she knew is that Grandpa never remarried, never loved again. Grandma had been his one and only. He was able to give his entire life to the farm because he didn’t have anyone else to share it with.

Charlotte had always been told she looked like her grandmother, but as a kid she didn’t see it. Now, as an adult, she could see the resemblance. They had the same heart shaped face with a sharp jawline, and the same thick, wavy brown hair. The had the same arched eyebrows above wide brown eyes. Even their noses were the same shape. Charlotte felt like she was looking into a black-and-white mirror.

 _How odd to look identical to someone I’ve never met,_ Charlotte thought.

She placed her grandmother’s picture on the mantle of the fireplace, but left the other two in the drawer. She couldn’t bear to have her mother and her grandfather watching what she would do in this house. But maybe Grandma – Elaine was her name, and Charlotte felt more comfortable calling her that – had been like Charlotte in more ways than appearance. Maybe she would understand why she was doing what she was doing. Charlotte would pretend like she did.

A loud crack came from outside the living room window, making Charlotte practically jump out of her skin. It was Robin, pulling the board off. Sunlight flooded into the room, illuminating the dust that was floating in the air. Charlotte squinted for a moment at the brightness, then focused on Robin’s smiling face outside.

“That was the last one!” Robin shouted through the glass.

Charlotte gave her a thumbs up. The room looked a lot more welcoming in the natural light than it had before. She took a sheet off of one last piece of furniture in the room, the coffee table, and headed outside to meet Robin. 

“Did you notice anything inside that needs work? Did you check all the plumbing?” Robin asked when they were both on the front porch. “The water might be a little brown at first because it’s been off for so long.”

“I’ll remember that, but I’m sure it’s all fine,” Charlotte replied. “Will you help me with one thing real quick?”

Robin followed Charlotte inside, to the basement where the porch rocking chairs were stored. Together, they carried them upstairs and out to the porch, and placed them exactly where her grandfather always had them.

“These are two beautiful pieces of furniture,” Robin said, kneeling down to examine them. “Solid hardwood and excellent craftmanship.”

“I’ll be holding onto these,” said Charlotte as she went back inside to grab her designer purse. She took out her wallet. “How much do I owe you for your help today?”

Robin told her the amount and Charlotte gave her a little extra. Robin thanked her, welcomed her to Stardew Valley again, and turned to leave.

“Robin, you didn’t give me your key.”

“Oh, of course.” Robin took out her keychain, looked through all the different keys on it, and finally took Charlotte’s off. “There you are.”

“Do you have any spares?”

“No, just the one.”

“Is there a lock on that gate?”

Robin looked at her like she was confused.

“There’s never been one. Don’t worry, I’d never want to compromise your security, but it’s quite safe in this area.”

 _You have no idea,_ Charlotte thought.

“Well, in that case,” she said, “thank you for taking care of this house for so long. I’ll reach out if there’s any kind of work that needs to be done on the inside.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Robin gave her a smile, and walked back toward the trail to the mountains. "Happy New Year, by the way!"

Charlotte made a mental note to change all the locks in the house and add ones to all the gates. She should check the quality of the fences, too. No such thing as being too careful.

Charlotte sat down on one of the rocking chairs, resting her sore feet. She’d bring in her bags from the car after the movers came. Until they arrived, Charlotte just sat on the porch, staring out at the land. She had to stop thinking of it as “Grandpa’s farm.” It was officially called Sherman Farm, which was her grandfather’s last name. Charlotte wanted to change it, because if she ever got caught, she didn’t want his name anywhere in it. She could call it Holt Farm, after herself, but it still didn’t feel right.

She thought back to when she had tried to sell the idea of Stardew Valley to Cooke as he pointed a gun to her head. _Don’t think of it as a second chance for me. Think of it as a new opportunity for the Z Cartel. New ground to cover._

New ground. Even though Grandpa had worked this land for a long time, none of his hard work was evident in the fields now. Charlotte would be starting from nothing. A new year, and new ground.

She took out her phone and started a to-do list. First bullet point: _rename farm to New Ground Farm._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This house](https://imgur.com/a/mWrAAX9) (a random picture I found on Google images) is what I imagine the farmhouse to look like in this story, maybe a little smaller. Just wanted to share for fun!
> 
> Next up, Charlotte goes into town, and we finally see a fan favorite in the sdv community...


	4. Spring 2

Charlotte didn’t know if she should be surprised or not that Pelican Town hadn’t changed much since the last time she had been there. She had gone out to get some groceries and other stuff for the house, and was trying to find the old store she used to go to with her grandfather. As she passed the old buildings, she tried to remember how long it had been since the last time she set foot here. She stopped going to Grandpa’s farm for the summer when she was fifteen, and she was twenty-seven now, so it had been twelve years. Everything was smaller than she remembered, although she had probably just grown accustomed to living around skyscrapers for the last several years. She was struck by how _short_ all the buildings were.

The location of the old grocery store, which had been called Pelican Town Market, had been renamed. It was called “Pierre’s” now, so she could only assume it was under new ownership. She didn’t really care who Pierre was, so the nostalgia that was making her want to shop local quickly faded away. She decided to continue down the road, to something that was new in town – a JojaMart. Charlotte smiled. Finally, something that reminded her of home. She pulled into the parking lot and went inside. 

The inside of the supermarket smelled sterile, just like all Joja buildings did. The shelves were organized exactly like how they were in Zuzu City, and at all their locations across the Ferngill Republic. When Charlotte was at orientation for her accounting job, they told her that they believed consistency was key. That was obvious to her as she strolled through the aisles, feeling like she was at the one she usually went to in the city.

She walked into the soup aisle, thinking that sounded perfect for this chilly, early Spring day. As she turned the corner, she saw an employee dressed in the Joja blue uniform stocking the shelves. She almost walked past him without thinking anything of it, until she caught a glimpse of his face underneath the blue cap.

“Shane? Shane Roberts?”

He looked up, surprised. Charlotte couldn’t believe her luck. It was definitely him. He looked older than he had in college, but it was him. He still had the same scruffy beard, and the same brown eyes that always looked tired.

“Uh, can I help you?”

“It’s Charlotte Holt, from Ferngill University!”

Realization spread across Shane’s face. He put down the cans that he was holding and stood up straight. 

“No fucking way.” 

“Yes fucking way.” Charlotte smiled. “I heard you’d moved here, but I didn’t expect to run into you on my first day in town.” 

“I—” Shane seemed at a loss for words, but finally he grinned, shaking his head. “Damn. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, so give me hug, you jerk,” Charlotte replied, pulling him in. Shane didn’t resist, although he still seemed to be trying to process the fact that she was there.

“What are you doing in Pelican Town?” he asked when she stepped back. 

“My grandfather had a farm here for a long time. He left it all to me, and I decided to finally try my hand at it.”

“At farming? You were an accounting major.” Shane still looked bewildered, but at this point, Charlotte was used to that look from people.

“Yeah, and I was an accountant at the Joja Corporate Headquarters for three years. But I decided it was time for a change.”

Shane looked like he wanted to know more, but he just nodded. Charlotte was relieved. She could always count on Shane not to ask too many questions. Good to know that some things never changed.

“Well, uh, shit.” He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Welcome to Stardew Valley, I guess.”

“It’s good to be back. Hey, where can I get a drink around here? Is the Stardrop Saloon still open?”

“She’s still standing. That’s the only real option for drinks.”

“We should catch up there soon, after I settle in,” Charlotte said. Shane nodded in response. “Okay, well, I’ll let you get back to work. Good seeing you, Shane. And happy new year!”

“Yeah, good to see you.”

Charlotte grabbed a couple cans of chicken noodle soup along with the other things she needed and checked out. She got back into her car, and headed off toward the farm.

~~~~~

The most urgent order of business was to hide the cash in the duffle bag. Charlotte spent a while walking around the house and the property, trying to find the safest place to store it. It couldn’t be outside, because it was possible for animals to get to it. She considered putting it in the walls of the house, but she was thinking about getting some work done on it, so that was not an option. As she walked down the small path that Robin usually took to get to the property, Charlotte remembered something.

Instead of turning right toward the gate, she continued straight through the overgrown fields. There was a small cliff marking the border of her land, rising about ten feet over her head. Somewhere along the rock wall was a cave that she used to explore as a child. She found it several away from the gate, the entrance covered by tall weeds. She managed to stomp them down and took out her phone flashlight to look inside.

It was a small cave, smaller than she remembered. It was narrow, but went back several feet. The ceiling was low and the ground was rocky and cold. The walls had many cracks and crevices that she used to play in when she was little, pretending like this was her own house. She used to get in trouble for coming in here because of how dark it was and how the floor could get damp and slippery. Now, there was no one to tell her what to do, and no one who would ever even know the cave was here.

She returned to the house to get the duffle bag. She also got out plastic bags from the kitchen and a large tarp from the garage. After placing all the cash into the bags and sealing them as tightly as she could, she double bagged those and sealed them too. She put them back in the duffle bag, and carried it and the tarp back to the cave. 

She found a small crevice in the wall on the far side of the cave. It wasn’t big enough for a person to fit into, but perfect for the bag. She wrapped the bag in the tarp, praying to Yoba that it would be waterproof. It fit far enough in that it couldn’t be seen from the entrance, but not so far that she worried she couldn’t reach it again. Charlotte walked out of the cave, proud of herself for such a clever hiding spot. It would be safe there. It had to be.

~~~~~

Charlotte spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house. She swept and vacuumed the floors and laid out the old rugs that had been in the attic. She climbed up on ladders with a broomstick to brush away cobwebs that had collected on the corners of the ceiling. Every cabinet had to be wiped down, every drain had to be cleaned, every window and mirror had to be polished. If there was one thing Charlotte couldn’t stand, it was a mess.

Cleaning was therapeutic for her, especially considering the stress she had been under for the last couple weeks. Whenever she tackled a project that was this messy, she felt like she could do anything. All the dirt and grime could be wiped away, gone without a trace. All it took was hard work.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door and startled her, making her almost fall off the kitchen counter she was kneeling on to reach the dusty top shelf of the pantry. 

_I need to get a gun_ , Charlotte thought as she made her way to the door. She tried not to be paranoid, but at this point danger was always a possibility. She looked through the peephole of the front door and saw an unassuming older man standing there. He was holding a small box. Charlotte took a deep breath, put on her best friendly smile, and opened the door.

“Hello, can I help you?” She asked through the screen door. The older man smiled warmly at her.

“Miss Holt?” he asked. Charlotte nodded.

“My, how you’ve grown. Do you remember me?”

Charlotte studied his face through the screen. He had a gray mustache and the beginnings of wrinkles around his eyes. He was wearing an old-fashioned brown hat and suspenders holding up khaki pants over a button-down shirt. He did look familiar, though she couldn’t place where from.

“I’m sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve been here.”

“Of course,” he replied, “I’m Mayor Edmund Lewis. I was a friend of your grandfather’s.”

“Mr. Lewis, of course!” Charlotte opened the screen door now and stepped out onto the porch with him. He and her grandfather had been close, though Charlotte had been too young to know him personally. “Or I guess I should say Mayor Lewis. How long have you been mayor of Pelican Town?”

“Going on eight years now. I just stopped by to personally welcome you to town. I always hoped that someone would return to Sherman Farm and take care of it. I know it was what your grandfather always dreamed, too.”

“Well, thanks for stopping by,” Charlotte replied. “And I’m renaming the place. It’s called New Ground Farms.”

Mayor Lewis seemed taken aback. 

“You took your grandfather’s name off of it?”

“Well…” Charlotte suddenly felt guilty. Of course, she had done it to actually protect his name from being associated with illegal activity, but how was she supposed to explain that to people who had loved and respected her grandfather? “I want to honor him by restoring the farm to its former glory, but I also don’t want to feel like I have to live in his shadow, you know? I wanted this place to feel like mine.”

Mayor Lewis still seemed bothered by the name change, but he was polite enough to drop it.

“I brought you a little welcoming gift,” he said, holding the small package out to her. It was modestly wrapped in brown paper with a simple blue bow. Charlotte appreciated the gesture. She took it from him and opened it. Inside where several packets of seeds. “It’s not much, but parsnips were the first thing your grandfather grew on this land. I thought it could be good luck to start on the same track as he did.”

Charlotte didn’t mention that there wasn’t any land ready for planting yet, or that she hated parsnips. Instead she just smiled and thanked him, made a little more casual small talk, and said goodbye. Charlotte went back inside and placed the seeds in a drawer in the kitchen. Tomorrow she’d make space for them in the field, but today she had a house to make spotless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some new characters lol. I know this chapter is short, but the next one is a long one with a lot more of your faves :)


	5. Spring 5

Charlotte was tired. It didn’t take her long to figure out that clearing a 500-acre plot of land alone was not something that could be achieved in a timely manner. She had thought that she’d be able to drag out her grandfather’s ancient lawn mower from the garage and spend a day or two walking all across the farm, but when she got up close to the fields, she realized that most of what was growing wasn’t just long grass – it was weeds and weed trees that had taken root and thrived for years. Some were taller than she was. She had tried pulling some up by hand, but knew that wasn’t going to be an option. An old lawn mower was not going to do the trick either. Even with fancy new equipment (which she ordered right away, marking them down as her first expenses to inflate), it was going to take her weeks to clear it alone. It was going to be hard.

Not to mention she was homesick. She hated the creaky floorboards of the farm house, hated the windows that were almost impossible to open, hated the hot water heater that took forever to heat up and lasted only about five minutes before running out. She missed her old marble counters, her bathtub with jets, her view of the city. Renovating the house was definitely an option, which comforted her. Flipping a house meant construction, supplies, labor, and lots and lots of expenses. She could make it as nice as she wanted to, and clean money while she did it. Even though this was good news, the mental capacity it took to organize a project that large was exhausting.

To make matters worse, she wasn’t sleeping well. Even with her new bed, which was by far her favorite spot in the house, she tossed and turned all night. When she did sleep, she had nightmares. Most were of the night Cooke held her at gunpoint, but some were different – sometimes in her dream she would just be yelling and crying, trying to reach out to someone who wasn’t there. Sometimes she wouldn’t have a voice, or wouldn’t have a body. Sometimes she dreamed of the weeds, huge thorny monsters that were creeping up her legs, pulling her down into the dark ground. Sometimes she just dreamed of bloody knees.

Charlotte needed a drink.

~~~~~

The Stardrop Saloon looked exactly the same as Charlotte remembered. Even though it was a bar, they had very relaxed rules about who was allowed inside. They sold food, and there was a small arcade and pool table, so kids came in all the time to play. Charlotte was fifteen, she had tried her luck at ordering a drink. The problem with living in a small town is that everyone knows who you are, so the bartender had just laughed and handed her a glass of water.

There was a new owner now, but it looked like he hadn’t changed a single detail of the bar when he acquired it. The floor and walls were all hardwood, making the place look rustic and cozy in the most genuine way possible. A retro jukebox was still in the corner. Wooden chairs were at wooden tables, and there were a few booths lining the walls, the seats covered in chipping red vinyl that had probably been there for fifty years. Pictures hung all over the walls. Some were newer, but some faces Charlotte recognized. She thought about finding a photo of her grandfather, because surely there would be more than a few, but she went straight to the bar instead of looking around. 

Charlotte had expected the bar to be more crowded for a Friday night, though maybe for this small town, it could be considered “busy.” There were several middle-aged people at the tables, including Mayor Lewis, who much to Charlotte’s relief because she didn’t want to socialize, had his back to her. He seemed distracted by the woman he was talking to, who appeared to be a few years younger than him. Charlotte wondered if that was his wife, although she hadn’t seen a wedding ring on his finger the other day. There was also an old man who looked like the most stereotypical fisherman Charlotte had ever seen in her life talking to a large, gruff looking man. At the end of the room, there was a much younger looking man and woman sitting together, both with very long red hair. Charlotte wondered if they were siblings.

An older woman sat at the far corner of the bar, chatting loudly with one of the bartenders, holding a half-empty glass of beer. The bartender was a large man who looked to be in his fifties, with a bushy mustache and round belly. Charlotte wondered if he was the owner. There was another person behind the bar, despite the small crowd: a young girl with bright blue hair. She barely looked old enough to be serving alcohol, but Charlotte sat on a stool near her side of the bar anyway, far away from the loud woman. She waved over the young bartender, who smiled brightly at her.

“Hello there! I’m Emily. I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before!” the girl said cheerily. Charlotte wondered if this was some kind of act to get more tips, or if she really was this outgoing.

“I just moved to town. My name is Charlotte.” She extended her hand across the bar for a handshake. Instead of taking it, Emily almost dropped the glasses she was holding when she exclaimed:

“Oh, Charlotte! I didn’t recognize you!”

Charlotte was startled by this response. She’d never seen this person before in her life. How did she know who she was? Her mind started racing, jumping to the worst conclusions possible. Had she been sent here to keep an eye on her?

“Oh, I, well…” Charlotte stammered. She awkwardly returned her hand to her lap.

“Oh Yoba, you probably don’t remember me with this hair,” Emily said, running her hands through the short blue strands. “I grew up in Pelican Town, and I remember you coming to visit when we were kids! We never had many new people around here, so the new kid always stuck out in my mind. Wow, you look so much like a grownup!”

“Well, I am a grownup,” Charlotte laughed, trying not to be weird. “Emily, I remember now.” That was a lie. “Your parents’ names are…”

“Susan and Edward! And my little sister is Haley.”

“…Last name?”

“Nelson!”

Charlotte tried not to stare at Emily. Was she drunk, dumb, or just really, really enthusiastic about life? Charlotte didn’t know which was worse.

“Of course, the Nelsons,” Charlotte replied. “You’ve grown up a lot too, Emily.”

“Twenty-three years of life came at me fast,” Emily smiled. Charlotte had trouble believing this girl wasn’t sixteen, but she didn’t say anything. “I heard you were coming back to take care of your family’s old farm. I’m so glad. It was looking lonely over there.”

Charlotte could tell she was waiting for a response, but she had none. She just smiled her best, least fake looking smile. It was good enough for Emily.

“So, Miss Charlotte, what can I get you to drink? It’ll be on the house.”

Finally, Charlotte thought.

“A glass of pinot grigio would be wonderful.”

Emily’s smile slightly faltered. 

“Oh yeah, that’s a kind of wine.”

If this girl who was a bartender didn’t know what pinot grigio was, Charlotte was going to pack up and leave this instant, Z Cartel be damned. Death would be better than this.

“It’s a white wine.” 

“Oh,” Emily’s smile returned at full intensity. “We have white wine. The house white.”

Deep breaths, Charlotte, deep breaths…

“But I don’t want the house white, I asked for pinot grigio.”

“Gus?” Emily turned around, calling to the other bartender, “do we have—” she turned back to Charlotte, “What was it called again?”

Charlotte tried not to scream.

“Pinot grigio.” 

Now the other bartender, who was apparently named Gus, smiled widely.

“Ah, a wine drinker! Finally!” He walked over to stand next to Emily and held out his hand to Charlotte. She shook it, glad that someone was willing to shake hands around here. “We usually just keep out the house red and white, but just for you, I’ll get a bottle from my personal collection. I’m Gus, the owner.”

Charlotte smiled, slightly genuinely this time.

“I would appreciate that very much, Gus,” she replied. “Thank you.”

He disappeared into the back. Another customer came up to the bar, the tall man with extremely long red hair, and Emily quickly went over to him and said something to Charlotte, though she was blocking that blue haired girl out of her mind to avoid starting a fight.

“Damn. That was painful to watch.”

Charlotte jumped at the sudden voice that came from the corner of the bar. She turned to see Shane sitting next to the wall, beer in hand, like he’d been there all night.

“Yoba, Shane, don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I was here the whole time.” Shane smiled slightly. He seemed different than he had at Joja, like he was a little quieter and slower. Charlotte wondered if he was drunk. She got up and moved to a stool next to him.

“Can you believe that a bartender doesn’t even know the names of wine?”

“Yeah, I can believe it, actually. We don’t get much fancier than beer around here.” As if on cue, Shane took a sip. “But honestly, cut her some slack. She hasn’t worked here for long, and she’s a good kid.”

“She’s something,” Charlotte muttered. Gus came back out with a promising looking wine bottle and glass. He seemed excited to have someone even remotely interested in wine, and proceeded to tell her about the aroma and undertones of this particular pinot grigio, made from grapes grown in the drier climate of the Grampleton region. Charlotte humored him, but she was absolutely dying to just start drinking. She took a sip of the wine, and genuinely smiled for the first time that day.

“You like it?” Gus seemed delighted.

“It’s excellent,” Charlotte replied.

“You just made a new best friend,” Shane said as Gus walked away. “He’s been dying for a customer with good taste for years.”

“I’m just glad there’s someone with even a little bit of culture here,” Charlotte said jokingly, though she was completely serious. She took another sip of wine. It was comforting to have something that was almost luxury after five days in Stardew Valley.

“Oh, there’s culture here. Believe me.”

“So, what brought you out here? I was chatting with Andrew a while back – remember him from Ferngill U? – and he mentioned that you moved.”

“Oh yeah, that fuckin’ dude,” Shane rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I needed a change of scenery, I guess. I’m staying with my aunt, Marnie. She’s over there.”

He pointed to the table where Mayor Lewis was sitting. Charlotte looked closer at the woman, who was laughing at something Lewis said. 

“Is she dating Mayor Lewis?” she asked. Shane gave her a look that said you don’t want to know and drank his beer. Charlotte figured some things were better left unsaid. She changed the subject by asking him more about living in Pelican Town.

“We don’t live in town. Marnie’s got a farm out near the woods and raises livestock. Cows and chickens and shit. Lots of shit, actually. She makes me shovel it out every morning.”

Charlotte laughed. She always loved Shane’s blunt sense of humor, which is why they got along so well in college. At least, part of why they got along.

“Sounds like you’re living the dream.”

“Hey, don’t make fun of me yet,” he replied, “if you get animals for your farm someday, you’re gonna be the one with a shovel, and you don’t have a nephew to boss around.”

“Yoba, I haven’t even thought that far ahead yet. There’s an old barn on the property, but it needs a lot of renovation. I’ll probably tear down the whole thing and build a brand new one.”

“Sounds expensive.”

Charlotte gave some vague reply that was mostly a shrug. There was pause in the conversation while they both had their drinks. 

Charlotte studied Shane now that he was outside of work. Back when they were in college, he was always the life of the party when they and their friends went out to clubs and parties. Now he seemed much more reserved. He wasn’t looking at Charlotte, but instead leaned both his elbows on the bar. He seemed to be lost in thought. Charlotte wondered what he was thinking about.

Loud laughter from the other side of the bar made Charlotte turn around. Three young people, probably teenagers, were standing around a pool table. 

“Just ignore them,” Shane mumbled without looking, “it’ll be quiet again when they leave.”

“I guess there’s not much to do for fun around here,” Charlotte replied. “I didn’t think kids these days still played pool.”

“Yeah, well, you’re right. Why else do you think I’m here every night?”

“I didn’t know you were here every night. Then again, in college we’d do pretty much the same thing.” Charlotte grinned. “I can’t believe we didn’t get into more trouble back then.”

“We did some pretty dumb shit.” Shane didn’t seem to be enjoying the memory as much as Charlotte, but she pressed on. 

“Remember that damn weed that Andrew always brought? I haven’t done that in so long.” 

Shane just shrugged and drank.

“Oh, come on,” Charlotte nudged him, “I know you were a fan. And not just of the devil’s lettuce.” She leaned in a bit closer to him and quietly said, “You know where I can get something around here?”

Shane downed the rest of his beer and sat up straight. “Look, Charlotte,” he said tensely, “We were kids then. We did stupid shit. It got out of control and it’s taken me a long time to not want to do that shit anymore. I’m not the guy you knew. Sorry.”

He stood abruptly and Charlotte tried to apologize, but he left without saying anything. Charlotte was a bit shocked. Shane and his old drug habits had been her entire plan for getting the cartel’s product into Stardew Valley. Granted, it was a very weak plan because she hadn’t spoken to him in years, but she hadn’t ever pictured him quitting. She quickly drank the rest of her wine, trying not to spiral into a panic while in the bar.

“Can I get you anything else?” Emily asked when she came over to clear Shane’s empty beer glass. Charlotte asked for another glass of wine.

“I’m surprised Shane was talking to you so much,” Emily said, handing Charlotte her glass. “He usually keeps to himself.”

“I know him,” Charlotte replied. “We go way back.”

“I don’t know much about him, even though I see him every night. I just don’t know how to get through to him.”

Charlotte didn’t reply, just sipped her wine and thought. If Shane had liked drugs once, he would like them again. Even if he didn’t want to do heroin, he had to know someone who would. He had to because if he didn’t, Charlotte would be back to square one for every aspect of her plan to survive.


	6. Spring 12

Charlotte was starting to feel hopeful for the first time in a long time. Her routine had gone from spending the day fretting over how she was going to start her near-impossible task, to nonstop working. Over the course of the last week, her new farm equipment had come in, which was good, but she had spent an entire two days trying to figure out how to use it. She found herself longing for her grandfather to be here, to teach her how he’d managed all this land by himself. She tried to remember all he had once taught her, but her childhood felt like forever ago. What kept her going was believing that farming really was in her blood, and that this land that was so closely attached to her family history wouldn’t fail her. Finally, she learned how to control the mower, how to till the earth with a tractor, and how to successfully plant the parsnip seeds that Lewis had gifted her. She had not cleared much of the land – just enough to practice – but she was satisfied with the progress she’d made. Tiny green sprouts were starting to pop up from the ground, and it was enough to keep Charlotte’s mood up. This season’s harvest wouldn’t be much, but when Summer came, she would be ready for a bounty that would really bring in cash, or at least make it look like the farm wasn’t a shell company.

One of the problems she now faced was cleaning the rest of the 3 million Gold in the next two weeks. She’d only made a small dent in it so far, and was starting to feel the pressure. Her entire plan depended on renovating the farm house, as well as building a new greenhouse, barn, and chicken coup. Laundering money through construction was simple enough, but getting it done quickly enough to avoid a bullet in her head was not. Robin was thrilled, of course, when Charlotte told that expenses were not an issue and nothing was off the table. They’d met several times already, and Robin had even hired a crew of workers to get multiple projects started at once. 

Charlotte was enjoying a morning cup of coffee before the construction workers came at 8 am to finish her chicken coup. It had been their first project since it was the cheapest, fastest, and had potential for fast cash. Chickens meant eggs, and eggs meant something to sell. It wouldn’t make nearly enough to clear 3 million Gold, but maybe enough to push the amount over the edge if need be. She planned to go to Marnie’s ranch to buy the chickens as soon as it was completed today. She was going over the books, trying to decide how many birds she should buy.

A knock came at her door, making her look up from her work. She checked the clock. Who would be here at 7 in the morning? Surely the workers hadn’t arrived an hour early. She went to the front door and looked through the peephole. It was a man she didn’t recognize. She tried to calm her nerves as the opened the wooden door and greeted him through the still-locked screen door.

“Charlotte Holt,” the man addressed her, as if he didn’t care for pleasantries, “Mr. Cooke says hello.”

Charlotte’s blood ran cold.

“I haven’t even been here for two weeks,” she stammered, trying not to panic. “I still have time to—”

“Calm down, Charlotte,” he said, “I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?”

“Cooke had a meeting with his superiors, and they decided that you don’t have all the _skills_ to keep up your end of the bargain.”

Charlotte knew he meant her promise to move the cartel’s product into the region and expand their territory. This man, whoever he was, was here to push heroin. He was dressed in nice clothes – a casual button down and jeans – but not too nice as to look like he had a lot of money. He was tall, with short dark hair and a sharp face. He’d blend into the background of the town well, weaseling his way in, under the radar of the police.

“You’re a dealer.”

“I prefer the term salesman.” He smiled at his own joke. “My name is Joe. Help me do my thing, and I’ll leave you alone to do yours. We’ll make a good team.”

He smiled at her, but it didn’t put her at ease. She should be glad that she had some help because she had absolutely no experience selling drugs. Only buying, and that was a long time ago. But something about the way he looked at her didn’t sit right with her. It was as if he was studying her too. Like he was looking for some weakness, some sign that she was failing at her task. But of course, she couldn’t tell him to go. The choice was not hers. Charlotte studied his face through the screen for a moment longer, but finally unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch. 

“Nice to meet you, Joe.” She held out her hand to him and he shook it. 

“You mentioned that you know someone who sells here,” he said, skipping the small talk again. “Who is it?”

“Oh, well,” Charlotte tried to pick her words carefully. “He’s an old friend, and I don’t think he sells anymore. I haven’t really had time to see him yet.”

“What’s his name?”

“Let me handle it first. I don’t want to come on too strong to him.”

Charlotte didn’t know why she was trying to protect Shane. Maybe he really had changed and he would report her to the police. Or maybe she was glad he’d changed, and didn’t want to mess everything up for him. She pushed the last thought out of her mind.

Joe just nodded in response. 

“You should also know that I’m Robin’s newest hire on her construction team. I’ll be back later to finish your chicken coup.” He grinned and winked at her. Charlotte felt uneasy. “Remember, you don’t know me.”

“So, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” she replied.

“I’ll be around.” He turned to leave. “Talk to your friend, or find someone else who might be interested.”

Charlotte stayed out on the porch and watched him drive away. He had an SUV that was covered in a light layer of dust from her driveway. She wondered if he had heroin in the back. She wondered how much damage he was going to do this town. No, that she was going to do.

~~~~~

Marnie’s ranch was directly south of New Ground Farm, near the Cindersnap Forest. There was a gate at the southern end of the farm, and Charlotte had cleared a path to it with the mower. She could have walked down it, but she hadn’t been able to shake her city-life habit of rushing everywhere she went. Lazily walking anywhere drove her crazy, so she took the tractor down the rough path. She almost laughed at herself. Just a couple weeks ago she’d been driving her sedan everywhere, and now she was on a goddamn tractor. She missed the air conditioning in her car.

Charlotte briefly wondered if Shane would be home. They hadn’t spoken since he got mad at her in the bar. She’s wanted to reach out and apologize, but got so swept up in all the action that she’d never gotten around to it. But then again, before she came to Stardew Valley, they hadn’t spoken in years, and the last conversation they’d had before that had also been less than friendly. She shook off the memory. Some things were better left in the past, and Charlotte knew Shane understood that as well as she did.

Marnie’s ranch was, to put it nicely, _quaint_. The buildings were old, older than Charlotte’s. They’d been kept up with, but they were still small and dated. It also smelled like shit. She remembered how Shane had mentioned shoveling it every day. Charlotte wondered if her farm would smell like that too when her barn was finished. She reminded herself that the smell of shit was better than the alternative to not doing everything she could with the land.

“Why, you must be Charlotte!” Marnie exclaimed when Charlotte walked in through the front door of the shop, which was in the front room of the main house. “I can’t believe we haven’t met yet.”

Charlotte smiled politely and shook Marnie’s hand. Though Charlotte had seen Marnie at the Stardrop last week, she hadn’t gotten a close look at her. She couldn’t really see the resemblance to Shane, but that might have been because of how good-natured Marnie looked. She had smile lines around her eyes, and a round face that looked soft and kind. As Charlotte made eye contact with her, she did see that they had the same dark eyes, although, where Shane had a tiredness behind his, Marnie had something else. Charlotte couldn’t quite place it.

“Farm life has been busy, as I’m sure you know,” she replied. “I hardly know anyone in town.”

“Believe me, I get the struggle between work and life balance,” Marnie smiled nicely, but then her smile slightly faltered. Charlotte almost missed it, but it was there. “But you know Shane, right?”

The look behind Marnie’s eyes changed. It was suspicion. Charlotte tried not to let her mind race. She didn’t know how much Marnie knew of his old life, with the partying, drinking, and drugs. Obviously, Shane had moved here to make a change. Maybe Marnie was worried Charlotte would drag him back into his old ways. If only she knew how right she was.

“Yes, from a lifetime ago, back in college,” Charlotte smiled as reassuringly as she could. “I can’t believe how much we both have changed since then.”

Marnie nodded, but the air of distrust between them was still there. “He certainly has,” she said. “More than you know.”

“I came to see about buying some chickens,” Charlotte said, changing the subject. “I built a new coup.”

Marnie seemed to be willing to drop the subject of Shane for now. She put on a professionally friendly voice as she explained the supplies Charlotte would need, how to care for chickens, and how much they cost. She seemed happy that Charlotte was going to spare no expense. She was even willing to buy a couple ducks, just for the hell of it. Money was clearly tight for Marnie and her family, and money was the only thing Charlotte had. Even if Marnie didn’t trust Charlotte, they would make a good partnership as long as Shane stayed out of the conversation.

As they walked through Marnie’s kitchen to go out the backdoor to the ranch, Charlotte noticed children’s toys on the floor. It was a little doll in a frilly pink dress, lying next to some pretend food and dishes. Charlotte was surprised. Marnie hadn’t mentioned having children. Charlotte didn’t say anything about it. If she didn’t trust Charlotte with Shane, she probably wouldn’t trust her with her daughter either.

~~~~~

By the end of the day, Charlotte had five chickens and two ducks in her coup. They were noisy, but Charlotte was actually glad for something to break up the silence of living alone on an isolated farm. She could hear them from her front porch as she watched the sunset, having a glass of wine in her rocking chair. The clucking reminded her of her grandfather’s chickens that she used to chase around as a little kid, trying to catch one and pet it like a dog.

Charlotte’s memories were interrupted by the sound of a car coming down the gravel road toward her house. She wasn’t expecting anyone and wondered if Joe would come back again. She’d seen him earlier with the other workers as they nailed the chicken wire to the fence of the coup, but he hadn’t even looked at her then. As the car got closer, she saw that it wasn’t his SUV but an old pickup truck. 

It stopped several feet from her house, and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shane’s familiar blue hoodie and dark head of hair. He was holding a six pack of cheap Joja brand beer.

“Sorry to come by unannounced,” he said when he got to her porch. “I wanted to come by and check on the animals.”

“What, you don’t trust me to take care of them?” Charlotte asked playfully. Shane seemed to take her words seriously.

“No, no, it’s just that I… well,” Shane suddenly looked embarrassed, “I like the chickens and I just wanted to… say goodbye.”

Charlotte couldn’t hide her smile. This had to be the cutest thing she’d ever seen – a grown man who loved his chickens enough to miss them when they were gone. 

“So that beer is for them, too?”

“I grabbed it when I left work and stopped by here on the way home.”

“I’m kidding, Shane. And you don’t have to say goodbye to the chickens,” Charlotte said, “You’re welcome to come by here anytime. You can help me with them, if you want. I’d pay you.”

Shane’s embarrassment was replaced with surprise. “Oh, you don’t have to—”

“Come on, wouldn’t a little extra cash be nice?” Charlotte could only assume Shane was making minimum wage at JojaMart. They weren’t known for their excellent treatment of employees.

“Sure,” Shane said, letting a slight smile come to his face, “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“Good,” Charlotte clapped her hands together. “Why don’t you sit down? I say we have a toast to your new employment.” 

“Can’t say no to that.” He sat in the rocking chair beside hers and pulled a beer out of the plastic rings and handed it to her. “If you’re not too snobby, you can have this.”

“Fuck off, I’m not _snobby_ ,” Charlotte said, taking the beer, “I just have a particular preference.”

“That’s weird, because I have a fuzzy memory of you shotgunning cheap beers like it was nothing back in the day,” Shane said with a hint of a smile on his face. He cracked open his own can.

“I was nineteen. No one has good taste when they’re a teenager.” 

“Bet you wouldn’t shotgun it now.”

Charlotte laughed and shook her head. “It’s been a long time since I did that.”

Shane just shrugged and sipped his beer.

“Fine,” Charlotte grinned, “How much do you want to bet?”

Shane reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash.

“Uh, how about… four Gold?”

“Deal.” 

Shane handed her one of his keys and she poked a hole in the side of the can. Tilting her head back, she raised it to her mouth and opened the tab. The cold beer shot into her mouth, and she felt like a kid again. Even though it tasted disgusting to her now, she chugged it in a few seconds. When it was gone, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked over at Shane, who looked genuinely surprised.

“Damn. I didn’t think you still had it in you.” He held out the change to her.

“Keep it,” Charlotte said, trying to catch her breath. She leaned back in the rocking chair and looked out at the sky, which was dark now. The first stars were starting to appear. The chickens and ducks were quiet now that they were settled in their coup, but the night was alive with the sound of bugs in the grass. They had only just come out of hibernation, and she knew that by the time summer came around, she’d be able to hear them from inside the house.

“Hey Shane, about the other day,” Charlotte said, “at the bar. I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m sorry for snapping.” Shane didn’t look at her. “It’s a touchy subject, but you had no way of knowing that.”

“I still shouldn’t have pushed you.”

Shane just shrugged. Wind rustled the long grass in the field. They both forgave each other, but they didn’t need to say it out loud for it to be understood. 

“So, are you going to the Egg Festival tomorrow?” Shane said, breaking the silence.

“Yoba, they still do that dumb shit?” Charlotte laughed. “I always went as a kid.”

“I just go for the free food. Gus cooks up a mean buffet.”

“I don’t know if I have time,” Charlotte replied. “The construction crew is going to start gutting the bathrooms in the farmhouse tomorrow.” She tried to shake off the thought of Joe being in her house.

Shane just nodded. Charlotte was still puzzled by this new Shane that was sitting next to her. In college, he’d always had something to say and hated silence. Now it seemed that he preferred it. Charlotte wondered what had happened to him in those years since she’d seen him to make him change so much. She didn’t know how she felt about this version of him. She had liked him in college, liked him a lot. He’d liked her too. She wondered if Shane was thinking about that right now. 

“I don’t think your aunt likes me very much,” Charlotte said after a while.

“It’s not you. She just worries about me,” Shane replied. “Not that I can blame her. She doesn’t know all the details about my life before I came here, but she knows enough. Knows it was bad.”

Charlotte felt a little hurt by that. She hadn’t thought those days were so bad. Sometimes she even missed how carefree they’d been, if not a little reckless.

“It wasn’t all bad, was it?” Charlotte asked softly. She studied Shane’s face. He still wouldn’t look at her. “We had some good times.”

Shane finished the rest of his beer and took out another one. He looked tired. “We did.”

Charlotte looked up at the sky. There were so many stars. She was starting to feel the effects of the wine and beer mixing in her stomach.

“Damn. I forgot the stars could look like that out here.” She paused. “We’re a long way from where we used to be,” she said. She wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that.

“Why are you here, Charlotte?”

“I already told you why I’m in Stardew.”

“But you didn’t _really_.”

Charlotte knew Shane wouldn’t believe her bullshit. He always saw through it, even if he ignored it.

“I had to… I don’t know.” Charlotte tried to think of a safe way to phrase how she was feeling. “Have you ever felt like if you didn’t make a change… you would die?”

Images of guns and bloody knees flashed in Charlotte’s mind. She wondered if she could count the stars.

“Yeah, actually.”

“Is that why you came here, too?”

Shane nodded. “I might tell you about it, someday.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you about my reason, too.” Charlotte never considered how much of her _employment_ she’d share with Shane, even if she got him hooked up with the drug trade. It would be nice to share the burden with someone. She looked away from the sky and over at him. He was looking at her too. “Or maybe it doesn’t have to matter why we’re here. Just that we ended up here together.”

Charlotte knew she should stop talking like that. Of course it fucking mattered that she was a criminal. It mattered that she had planned to use Shane. It mattered that her life was at stake. But _damn_ , it did feel good to not be quite so isolated in this new town. The look on Shane’s face told her that he might be thinking the same thing. 

Then he smiled. It was a real smile, even though he still looked tired and a little bit sad. Memories she’d been trying to ignore suddenly flooded her mind: those nights, years ago, when they were still so young and trying to figure out who they were. A brief moment in time when they thought they had the answers. They hadn’t found any answers, of course, which is why they went their separate ways. But apparently, their separate ways had the same destination.

“I’m going to get another glass of wine,” Charlotte said, standing up. She felt a little dizzy. “Do you want one?”

“I’ve got this.” Shane held up his beer.

“Do you want to come inside? It’s getting cold.”

Shane just studied her face for a second, and then followed her into the house. In the hallway, Charlotte caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. She hadn’t been taking care of her appearance like she used to. There was no makeup on her face, and her curly hair was getting out of control. Her clothes were dirty from the day’s work. She brushed off a brief feeling of insecurity and moved on into the kitchen, where she got out the wine. 

“I like this house,” he said. “Why are you redoing it?”

“Because I can.” Charlotte took a big gulp of wine. She felt his eyes on her. Placing her glass on the counter, she turned around to face him. “Why are you here, Shane? Why’d you come to my door with beer?” She smiled. “And don’t say the chickens.”

Shane finished his second can of beer and put it down. “Because I missed you.” 

Charlotte’s heart fluttered in her chest, even though she didn’t want it to. She shouldn’t let him in, shouldn’t let him care about her. But for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t thinking about fear or survival or anything at all. She just wanted to feel like she had so long ago. His eyes looked straight into hers, like he was looking into her soul. Waiting to see what she would do.

In that moment Charlotte decided that she was going to make him trust her. He would want her and need her. Then, he would listen to her story and not run away from her, not turn her in. He’d help her. And in the process, Charlotte would no longer be alone.

Charlotte let her body take over her actions. She stepped closer to him, and as if on cue he reached for her and pulled her in. For the first time since they agreed so long ago that they were bad for each other, she leaned up and kissed him. Their breaths tasted like alcohol, but Shane didn’t seem to care. He kissed differently now, though it was hard for her to put it into words. But she didn’t need words, only body language. 

She stepped away for a brief second, just to look at him. As if he didn’t want to allow any time for thinking about what they were doing, he pulled her back in and kissed her harder, longer. His hands gripped her waist and she let her fingers tangle in his messy hair. This kiss felt more desperate, more like he needed something. She needed something too. This didn’t feel wrong or right anymore – it just felt like Shane.

Taking his hand, Charlotte lead him toward her bedroom. He followed her with no words exchanged. Nothing had to be said. They just needed to be together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a month to update! This chapter is important for setting up the plot of the rest of the story, so I wanted it to be just right. Also, I was _this close_ to making this chapter NSFW but I've never written smut before and lost my self confidence at the last minute. What do you think, should I try writing it...?


	7. Spring 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: brief mention of past suicidal thoughts and drug addiction.
> 
> also, you might have seen me post this chapter yesterday, but I deleted it because I thought of a better way to end it. enjoy!

When Charlotte woke up the next morning, Shane was gone. She was glad. What would she even say to him, anyway? She rolled out of bed and almost tripped over her clothes piled on the ground. They’d been carelessly left there all night, presumably next to Shane’s. The morning air was cold against Charlotte’s bare skin, so she wrapped herself in a blanket before gathering her clothes and putting them in the hamper. If there was one thing Charlotte couldn’t stand looking at, it was dirty laundry.

She took a shower, trying to wash off everything that had happened last night so that she could focus on the day ahead. It had been foolish to sleep with Shane. She’d let her emotions get the best of her, but what was done, was done. Besides, it _had_ been good. The last time Charlotte had sex was over a year ago, with an ex-boyfriend who never really meant much to her. She’d broken up with him when she started working for the cartel, not wanting to take any risks with him finding out about it. Now, as she felt a little sore between her legs, and let herself feel satisfied. She wondered what Shane was thinking right now, but she knew she couldn’t entertain those thoughts. 

Once she got out of the shower, Charlotte made her way into the kitchen. There was a note on the table.

_Sorry to leave. Didn’t want to wake you up. Marnie needs me back in time to set up the Egg Festival, because, you know, we have chickens and eggs and shit._

_Btw, I fed your birds for you this morning. But don’t get used to it._

_(Kidding.)_

_-Shane_

The thought of Shane waking up at the crack of dawn to go hide colored eggs around town made Charlotte smile. She made her usual cup of coffee and let herself feel happy for just a little while. 

The construction crew came around 8 to start working on the house. Joe was with them, as he was yesterday. The two of them didn’t exchange so much as a glance. She didn’t want to stick around while they were in her house, so she went out to survey her little parsnip crop. They were almost ready for harvest, although Charlotte spotted a couple little weeds sprouting out of the tilled soil. She quickly pulled them out with her bare hands. A tiny but sharp thorn pricked her thumb and drew a drop of blood. Charlotte swore, throwing the weeds away. _Damn weeds better not make a habit of this,_ she thought.

Once that was done, and she had checked on the chickens and ducks, she wasn’t sure what to do. There wasn’t anything she could do to help the construction workers, and there wasn’t anything in her house to hide. She hadn’t laundered nearly enough money to look suspicious if someone did see her books. And Joe wouldn’t find any dirt on her to report back to Cooke, either. As long as they stayed far away from the cave, everything was safe, for now. Charlotte decided she might as well stop by the Egg Festival, just for old time’s sake.

~~~~~

Charlotte saw the decorations before she saw any of the people. They were similar to the ones that were used when she was a kid, but newer – purple and yellow ribbon, giant plastic eggs in pastel colors, and flowers everywhere. It was tacky and ridiculous, but it did inspire some nostalgia. Soon Charlotte saw all the people gathered in the town center, near tables filled with food and drinks. She parked and walked over, looking around for Shane.

She saw him on the far side of the town square, talking to a little girl who looked to be about four or five years old. The girl was holding up a dandelion to him, clearly proud of what she had found. He smiled and nodded the way that adults do when they feign interest in a child’s discoveries. The girl must be Marnie’s daughter, and the owner of the toys she saw in their house yesterday.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out: “Charlotte! I’m so glad you decided to come!” It was Mayor Lewis, approaching her with a plate of food in his hand. “This is a perfect chance for you to officially meet more people from town. Here, let me introduce you to the Howards.”

Without giving Charlotte much of a choice, or even letting her say hello, he excitedly ushered her over to a family that was standing near the dessert table. She smiled as politely as she could and greeted them.

“This is Jodi and Kent Howard, and their son Vincent,” Mayor Lewis said, gesturing at them. Kent was a tall man with a hard face. Jodi was much shorter than him, and had a soft face. They looked almost opposite of each other, yet still looked like a pair. Vincent, who couldn’t have been older than six, had his mother’s reddish hair and facial features. Charlotte shook Jodi and Kent’s hands. “Kent is the police chief here in Pelican Town.”

Charlotte kept her polite smile on her face, but looked more closely at Kent. He had the typical buzzed haircut that a policeman would have, and a face that practically screamed no-nonsense. Pelican Town did not have a very big police department, but maybe with this guy in charge, they didn’t need it. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

“I was hoping to meet you soon,” Jodi said warmly. “I was so glad to hear that the old farm will be getting used again.”

“Just trying to do right by my grandfather,” Charlotte replied.

Someone called Mayor Lewis’s name and he politely excused himself, leaving Charlotte alone with the couple and the boy. Charlotte tried not to be paranoid about the way Kent was watching her. He mumbled a greeting, but then excused himself to refill his drink, much to Charlotte’s relief.

“Don’t mind him, he doesn’t like crowds,” Jodi said apologetically. “He spent some time as a soldier during the Gotoro War. You know how it is.”

Charlotte thought that this hardly constituted a “crowd,” but nodded knowingly. She’d heard things about the war, and about the hardships that soldiers faced with handling what they had seen and experienced.

“So, is Vincent your only child?”

“We also have a teenager, Sam. He should be around here somewhere…” Jodi looked around, and then pointed behind Charlotte. She turned to look. “There he is! He’s with his friends, Sebastian and Abigail. You know Sebastian’s mom, Robin Watts.”

“I think I’ve seen them before, at the Stardrop,” Charlotte replied, remembering the loud teenagers playing pool. They were quieter now than they had been at the bar. Almost too quiet – Charlotte wondered if they were stoned. When she was a teenager, she’d gotten high before festivals more than once. Good to know the tradition was still ongoing. Maybe that information would interest Joe.

“You must have been the new girl talking to Shane! Sam mentioned that to me.” 

“I didn’t know Shane and I were a topic of conversation,” Charlotte said, a little too defensively. She didn’t mean to be rude, but she also didn’t like people talking about her. This was a small town and it was bound to happen, but that didn’t mean she had to be okay with it.

Jodi looked embarrassed. “Oh, I didn’t mean people are _talking_ about you. It’s just uncommon for Shane to be friendly with… well, anyone.”

Charlotte remembered how Emily had said something similar that night, although their conversation had hardly ended in a “friendly” way. She wondered if Shane had any friends here. She also wondered what Jodi would think if she knew she and Shane had slept together last night.

“I knew him in college.”

“Then you’ve known him longer than I have,” Jodi replied. “I only know him because Vince is friends with his daughter. We were so glad to have a new kid his age in town.”

“His daughter?” Charlotte tried to hide the shock on her face. She felt like her head was spinning. Surely, if he had a child, he would have told her.

“Yes, her name is Jas! She’s such a sweet girl. Makes you wonder where she gets it from, since Shane is, you know, a little rough around the edges. I suppose that’s Marnie’s influence.”

“Oh, right,” Charlotte said, turning her gaze back to Shane and the girl, who were now making their way over to the food, where Shane would eventually notice her. “Jas.”

“Mommy, can I go play with her?” Vincent suddenly piped up, tugging on the hem of his mother’s shirt. 

“Of course, sweetie.” Jodi watched him run over to Jas and Shane, as happy and innocent as could be. She turned back to Charlotte. “My favorite part about living here is how safe it is. I feel perfectly fine letting Vince go off and play with his friends. It’s a special place.”

Charlotte only nodded in response. She made herself look away from Shane and the children. She felt sick.

“Well, I should go find my husband,” Jodi smiled. “It was very nice to meet you, Charlotte. If you ever need anything, just let us know.”

Charlotte sputtered out an equally polite goodbye, and tried to make her way back to her car without attracting Shane’s attention. But she had to walk past him, and there were no real crowds here for her to hide in. 

She made eye contact with Shane, who started smiling when he saw her. Almost instantly, he looked down at Jas. The more Charlotte looked at her, the more she thought Jas looked exactly like him. His smile vanished, and he quickly looked back up at Charlotte. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then a familiar blue head of hair blocked her view of him.

“Hi Charlotte! Beautiful day for a festival, isn’t it?” Emily said, as cheery and oblivious as ever. 

Charlotte had to take a second to register what she was saying. “Oh, yeah, it’s a nice day.”

“Do remember my little sister? She’s right over there with—” 

“Yes, I remember Kayley, but—”

“Actually, it’s Haley—”

“But I really have to go.” Charlotte looked over Emily’s shoulder at Shane, who was still looking at her. Jas and Vincent had run off to play somewhere else, so now he was just waiting for her come talk to him. Charlotte turned her attention back to Emily. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I’m starting renovations on my house today.”

“No worries,” Emily smiled, “Come by the Stardrop and say hi sometime!”

Charlotte just nodded and pushed past her, walking the opposite way of Shane. She didn’t have anything to say to him, especially in front of all the nosy people of the town. He let her go.

 _If one more person is friendly with me, I’m going to cry,_ Charlotte thought.

She made it back to her car and drove back to the farm. Only then did she let herself get upset. Tears started to well in her eyes, and her heart raced. How could he hide this from her? This had to be why he stopped using, why he moved to his aunt’s house. Did he really think she wouldn’t find out? In a town this small, no less?

Charlotte shouted _“fuck!”_ and hit her hands against the steering wheel. She couldn’t get the image of Jas giving Shane a flower out of her head. 

Gaining her composure, Charlotte turned off the car and took a deep breath. Now was not the time for a breakdown, not when the construction crew was still inside. While Joe was still inside. She went into her house, to the downstairs bathroom where they were ripping out the outdated tile.

“You guys can have the rest of the day off,” Charlotte said, “Because it’s a holiday.”

The workers looked confused for a moment, because the Egg Festival was hardly a holiday, and most of them were from out of town, but then thanked her and started packing up their tools. Joe’s gaze lingered on her for just a moment, and Charlotte smiled as innocently as she could. He didn’t say anything, and left with the rest of the men.

Even though they’d put down plastic in the hallways, dirt and dust from the demolition was tracked everywhere. Charlotte was a little pissed about it, but was glad for the opportunity to clean something and clear her head. She got out her vacuum and cleaned every inch of all the floors in the house, even the parts that weren’t dusty. After that was done, she stripped the sheets off her bed and put them in the wash with her clothes. She wanted Shane’s scent out of them, and for everything he’d touched to be spotless. She couldn’t think with him everywhere.

When she was done cleaning, poured a glass of wine and sat on her living room couch, in front of the cold, empty fireplace. She looked at the photo of her grandmother, Elaine, on the mantle. It seemed as if she was looking right back at Charlotte. What was it like to be a parent? Charlotte had never been particularly close with her own mother, and less so with her father. Both of her parents worked constantly, and sometimes as a child Charlotte had felt like a burden, like she was something that got in the way of their careers. Now that she was an adult, she understood. Maybe being a parent was giving up your life for someone else. She did not want that, especially not now. Charlotte placed her hand on her lower abdomen and imagined a baby growing inside of her. She was glad she was on birth control. 

“Did you love your children, Elaine?” Charlotte asked the photograph. “Did you give up your life for them?”

Her grandmother didn’t respond, of course, but a little voice in Charlotte’s mind said, _Shane gave up his old life for Jas. He loves her._

Charlotte was too selfish for children. She could admit that. Some might see it as a character flaw, but it was just a way of life for her. Money and power were the prizes she’d had her eye on since she was a teenager. Success could be measured numerically, laid out on a spreadsheet. Love was not quantifiable and confused her. It was messy, and Charlotte hated a mess. That didn’t mean she wanted to be alone; she just wanted something simple and clean.

Being with Shane would not be simple or clean, but she was too late to stop it. Something connected them. Charlotte couldn’t help but shake the feeling that there was a reason they both ended up here. It had to be because he was meant to help her. Maybe this newfound knowledge of his child wouldn’t change anything. She didn’t need Shane to be an addict. She only needed him to keep her sane while she tried to stay alive. That little girl, or Marnie for that matter, would never need to know about what she did.

She sank into the couch and drank her wine. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel like she had this morning, like everything was going to be okay.

~~~~~

Shane called her that night. Charlotte had wondered if he’d come over again, but he didn’t. Charlotte was still on her living room couch, watching bad sitcom reruns on her TV and drinking a bottle of wine. She answered the phone, trying not to sound like she was three glasses deep.

“Hi, Charlotte.”

“How was the Egg Festival?”

“It was the same as it always is.” Shane’s voice sounded lower and drawn out, like it always did when he was drunk. At least Charlotte wasn’t the only one who was. “I was hoping you would’ve stayed longer.”

“I had to go.”

A pause. Shane sighed. “I’m sorry you had to find out that way. About my daughter.”

Hearing him actually say _my daughter_ was strange. Charlotte continued to drink. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me.”

“I… I don’t have a good reason.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not that, really. I wasn’t trying to hide her, I just… I guess I thought you wouldn’t care to hear about her.”

He was right, of course. Charlotte didn’t particularly care about Jas, but she knew it was nice to ask. Charlotte laid down on her couch and stared at the ceiling. She imagined Shane doing the same at his house. “How old is she?”

“Four.”

“Where’s her mom?”

“She’s still in the city, I guess. I wouldn’t know. We don’t talk.” Charlotte could hear him take a sip of a drink. “We shared custody for about a year, but then one day she left Jas at my house and never came back. She didn’t want the responsibility, and still can’t be bothered to care. That’s why I had to come here. Marnie was my only chance for raising Jas well.”

Charlotte tried not to think about how she sympathized with Jas’s mom. She should feel guilty for even thinking that, but she didn’t. She just let Shane keep talking.

“Last night, you asked me if I ever felt like I’d die if I didn’t make a change. I was addicted to opioids, Charlotte. I never even graduated college.”

“Wait, you didn’t?” Charlotte and Shane had stopped talking at the beginning of their senior year. Charlotte had assumed he’d graduated like she did.

“I stopped showing up to class. I just couldn’t care about anything except getting high. That was the lowest I’ve ever been. It got to the point where I was either going to kill myself by staying on that track, or I could stop what I was doing and start over. Honestly, I probably would have killed myself. And then,” he took a deep breath, “Jas gave me something to live for. I decided I wasn’t done with life yet, just the one I had. I mean, I just replaced one vice with another, but it’s better than what it was.”

“I didn’t know,” Charlotte said quietly. “You always seemed… like you had it under control.”

“I guess I thought I did, for a while. But it started to become too much and I just let it happen.” Pause. "Anyway, sorry to lay all that on you at once. It’s a lot.” 

“No, it’s okay. We all have our baggage.”

“I told you my story of why I’m here. Want to tell me yours?”

“I liked the life I had,” she said quietly. “It was my dream. But I… I flew too close to the sun, I guess. I aimed too high and I missed. And I crash-landed here. But I have a chance to make it right again.”

She couldn’t tell him exactly what happened, not yet. It would scare him. She had to make him understand that she _could_ get out of trouble. That the danger wouldn’t be forever, and that she would end up richer than she’d ever been. That if he helped her, he could be rich too. She understood now, so clearly, that all this was the right thing to do. She was helping Shane, just as he would help her. He’d be able to move out of Marnie’s ranch, maybe even start a trust fund for Jas. A spark of hope ignited in Charlotte’s heart.

“Whatever it is, you’ll be able to fix it. I know you, Charlotte. You haven’t changed at all. When you set your mind to something, you get it done.”

“Thank you for saying that, Shane.”

“I mean it.”

“I had fun last night, by the way,” Charlotte let herself smile, “We should do it again sometime.”

Shane laughed lightly, which made Charlotte smile more. Maybe everything really was okay.

“Me too.”

They both said goodnight, and Charlotte hung up the phone. She sat up and looked at the photo of her grandmother again. 

“I am going to be happy, Elaine,” she said to no one. “Shane and I are both going to be happy. And most importantly, we’re going to be rich. Because I am not going to die.”

That night, her new life truly began.

~~~~~

In her garden, underneath the ground, the roots of the weeds she'd pulled out remained. They started to grow slowly, silently, and out of sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more action coming soon, I promise...


End file.
